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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843845">Nelexis - The Next Chapter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraWalf/pseuds/CaraWalf'>CaraWalf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>General Hospital (TV 1963)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:14:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,780</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843845</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraWalf/pseuds/CaraWalf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil Byrne/Alexis Davis (General Hospital)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Nelexis - The Next Chapter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alexis Davis opened her eyes and for three glorious minutes she completely forgot that her life was a disaster. She forgot that she had been disbarred, that the man she had fallen for had disappeared from her life without even a wave goodbye, that she had put her hard- earned sobriety and mental health in jeopardy, and that she had idiotically done it all to herself. And then it all came back to her, in a crushing, soul-destroying wave that threatened to drown her beneath its oppressive weight. She considered burying herself under her blankets but the need for coffee was too strong. So, figuratively patting herself on the back for her fortitude, she showered, dressed in sleek black leggings and a bright purple tunic, even slapped on a minimum amount of makeup, and followed the aroma of freshly brewed java to her kitchen where her morning coffee awaited her. As she poured her steaming cup, she heard the unwelcome sound of the doorbell ringing. </p>
<p>"Hmmm," she mused, "Which of her 3 daughters had decided to torture her today? Sam had failed spectacularly with her jaunt to the gym so unlikely that she would have returned. It was probably Molly with a suggestion of mountain climbing or Kristina....She thought Kristina would have liked to take her out clubbing and drinking but that wasn't going to fly in her case.  As she mused on this dilemma, certainly more fun to think about than the dilemma that was her life, she made her way reluctantly to the door. She opened the door quickly, while sipping her coffee, anticipating how she would refuse Molly's well-intentioned but still torturous activities. When she saw who was at the door, her heart leapt into her throat. She hadn't known that could really be a thing, and yet, here she was, literally choking on the acceleration of her own heartbeat.</p>
<p>"Hi," he said, "I hope this isn't a bad time." His face was completely inscrutable. This was not that unusual but often she could read his emotions in his deep set intense eyes, but today -nothing. <br/>"There is no bad time, since my disbarment, or I guess more accurately, every time is a bad time." As she spoke, she turned her back on him and walked back in, leaving him to follow. She considered closing the door in his face to delay the inevitable goodbye he had obviously come to deliver. In what world had she actually believed that a man like Neil Byrne wouldn't have the decency to say goodbye? But, there was no point in delaying the bad news; the hits just kept coming.<br/>"I  didn't thing I would ever see you again," she heard herself saying.<br/>"And how did that make you feel?"<br/>"Wow, are you actually shrinking me right now?" she asked in disbelief.<br/>"No shrinking intended," he answered, with a slight smile, remembering their half date at Charlie's, before their Drag Bingo date, when they had had a similar exchange.<br/>"It made me feel hurt, abandoned, rejected, angry, guilty," she almost whispered, her voice full of unshed tears. "It made me feel like you were firing me again, not as your patient, but as..." She stopped dead, mid-utterance, unable to think of the right word. Lover? Girlfriend? Finally, at a loss, she continued, "whatever we are." As she spoke, she sat down on the sofa and he sat down next to her, his eyes looking deeply into hers. And she could see that they looked warm and sympathetic. He reached for her hand, taking it gently in his. <br/>"I am so sorry Alexis. I never wanted you to feel that way. But I respect your courage and your honesty and I want to be honest with you in return." Here it comes, Alexis thought to herself, preparing herself for the blow he was about to deliver. <br/>"I did consider it; never seeing you again - leaving you with a clean slate to start over. And I convinced myself that I was doing what was best for you. I had done so much damage to you and to your career. Look, I know that you decided to lie, but I also know that you did it to protect my career. You took a drink, after 3 years of sobriety, because of our situation. I was racked with guilt over my part in all this. <br/>Alexis listened carefully, the warmth of his hand holding hers both a comfort and a tantalizing hint of what she might never have again. She found herself looking intently at his beard and realizing that she had never kissed anyone with a beard. <br/>"Alexis? Are you okay" He asked, with consternation. She felt her hand slowly leave his and gently caress his cheek, stroking the softness of his beard. Had she really done that? Her heartbeat accelerated and she found it hard to breathe.<br/>"Sorry," she panted, "I got distracted. If fe-fe-feels  so soft." She stuttered, wondering if her face was as red as it felt. <br/>"Now I'm distracted" Neil rasped, his voice husky and deep. He gently covered her hand with its own and brought it to his lips, where he softly kissed each of her fingers. looking into her eyes in that intent way he had, as if he could see directly into her soul. <br/>"I realized," Neil continued, as he released her hand, which allowed her to finally release her breath and begin to breathe again, "that not seeing you would have been idiotic and unfair. And actually, it was your ex who pointed me in that direction."<br/>"Julian?" Alexis croaked, in surprise, still trying to figure out her breathing. "When did you see Julian?"<br/>"Alexis, I was so angry the last time I spoke to you, when you got the email from the Bar Association that I guess I just needed an outlet for that anger. So I went to Charlie's and I confronted Julian." Neil said, ruefully. "Actually, I more than confronted him - I threw him against a wall."<br/>"You did what?" Alexis asked shrilly, "Are you crazy? You do remember that Julian is a former mob boss and enforcer, right?"<br/>" Hey, I have moves. I've been trained in Krav Maga." Neil sounded slightly insulted.<br/>"Krav Maga?" Alexis felt like she had entered an alternate universe.<br/>"Israeli Martial Arts," Neil explained. "I had to contend with violent addicts and psychotic patients in the ER. Lots of psychiatric residents train in order to defend themselves."<br/>"And you didn't think of inviting me to this party?" Alexis asked, annoyed that she had missed seeing Julian getting his comeuppance.<br/>"It wasn't premeditated, more like an impulsive move," he said.<br/>"How did it feel to confront Julien?"<br/>"It felt satisfying, not that he was  the slightest bit remorseful about my career. He did feel bad about your career, though. Oh, and I made sure to let him know what I thought about him terrorizing you and holding a dagger to your throat."<br/>"You did not!" she breathed.<br/>"Oh, I definitely did. I've been wanting to do that ever since you told me about it, but since I'm no longer bound by confidentiality..."<br/>"I'm sure that didn't go over well," Alexis mused.<br/>"No, as I much as he felt I needed to take responsibility for my actions, he wasn't thrilled about being confronted about his own past. But when I told him that I was considering leaving you with a clean slate, well, he saw right through me. He told me that I wasn't thinking of what was good for you but about what was good for myself. And he was right." <br/> Neil paused and took a deep breath. <br/>"Alexis, the last time everything blew up in my life and when my emotions led me down a dark path was when Joanna died. I know this isn't the same, but when all this happened, pretty much all at once, the sleeping together, the lies, the explosion of both of our careers, the public humiliations, I guess it brought me back to that place again."<br/>Alexis' eyes filled with tears, "I am so sorry. I get it. I guess I've been doing a bit of a self evaluation, as well, about why I acted like I did - why I perjured myself when I knew how wrong it was." <br/>Alexis could see the second that he went into therapist mode, leaning slightly back, and watching her intently.<br/>"And what did you discover?" he asked, as he had so many times in therapy.<br/>"I found out that I do think that you are an amazing therapist and that everyone should have the opportunity to avail themselves of your services, but," her voice lowered, as she finally admitted to a truth that had been hidden deep inside herself, "that wasn't why I crossed the line to fight for your career.<br/>"Then, why was it that you lied?" he asked, looking as if he already knew the answer.<br/>"I was terrified of what I was starting to feel and the stronger my feelings grew, the more frightened I became because the last time I felt like this, I ended up with a dagger at my throat and I lost everything. It was one of the most painful times of my life, and as you well know, that's saying something. Subconsciously, I realized that if I saved your career, then we would have an obstacle between us for 2 years and I would be safe. I feel like such an idiot."<br/>"Don't feel like an idiot." He said tenderly, gently stroking her hair with his hand. "It's called PTSD and I'm not at all surprised that you have a mild case.<br/> "Are you still afraid?"<br/>"No, crazy as this sounds, once I understood why I was acting the way I did, the fear eased completely. I know that you would never threaten me and I can't believe I let that fear cause me to lie and ruin everything. I am not going to let my past trauma dictate my future.<br/>"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Alexis, because I am done with running away from how I feel. I've been protecting myself from strong emotions for 5 years and it's no way to live. Life is about joy and about pain and love and anger and I'm ready to embrace it all." He cupped her cheeks in his hands. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over and he smiled at her tenderly. "What are you thinking?"<br/>Her breathing hitched as she panted, and said, "I've never kissed a man with a beard." He barked a laugh and smiled, "We need to remedy that situation immediately."</p>
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